The present invention relates to the field of guards for covering fishing hooks and the like. The invention is particularly well adapted to holding and covering double, treble and other specialty multiple prong hooks.
The need to cover or guard the sharp points of fishing hooks when not in use has been painfully clear for a long time. Double hooks, treble hooks and specialty hooks are more challenging to guard because of their complex multiple prong structures. Furthermore, anglers will not use the guard if it is time-consuming or otherwise inconvenient to install and remove. Thus, there is a need for a single device that is capable of efficiently storing and guarding double hooks, treble hooks, and specialty multiple prong hooks.
Hook guards are generally of either the top or bottom mounting variety. The points of the hook are directed into the guard when the guard is top mounted. By contrast, when the points are directed away from the guard, the guard is said to be bottom mounted.
There is a need for an improved guard for multiple prong hooks. Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved guard for multiple prong fishing hooks and the like.
Another objective of this invention is the provision of a guard for a multiple prong fishing hook that is more universal in its application than existing hook guards.
Another objective of this invention is the provision of a guard for multiple prong hooks whereby a single guard will hold a range of hook sizes.
Another objective of this invention is the provision of a guard for multiple prong hooks whereby a single guard is capable of holding a double hook, a treble hook, or another specialty multiple hook.
Another objective of this invention is the provision of a versatile guard for multiple prong hooks whereby a single guard is capable of either top mounting or bottom mounting a given hook depending on the preference of the user.
Another objective of this invention is the provision of a guard for multiple prong hooks which is capable of holding a hook prong therein by friction alone, without additional locking structures on the guard.
Another objective of this invention is the provision of a guard for multiple prong hooks that is easily, safely and conveniently installable and removable.
Another objective of this invention is the provision of a guard for multiple prong hooks which is relatively easy to manufacture, durable in use, reliable and inexpensive.
These and other objectives will be apparent from the drawings and the description which follows.